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Forced labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector needs to be tackled fast.
If Uzbekistan is to bring about real change on forced labor, it will need to establish irreversible operational changes and structural reforms at the earliest available juncture.
Despite rhetoric from leaders in Uzbekistan calling for an end to forced labor in the nation’s agricultural sector, there is still a long way to go before the Uzbek cotton industry will be free from slavery.
There has to be an end to the practice of mobilisation of education and healthcare workers to harvest cotton.
Channels have to be established to receive and react – transparently and with accountability – information and data from civil society monitors.
A time-bound roadmap has to be developed to reform and remove structural features of forced labor in the cotton sector and end the imposition of labor and production quotas on public institutions.
A roadmap has to be published– in print and online –to protect citizens from forced labor through measurable milestones for progress, sufficient resources for implementation, transparent processes for receiving and reporting on feedback from independent monitors.
The United States has banned imports of Turkmenistan cotton due to the prevalence of forced labor in its production.
The central government will depute two members from the duty drawback committee to analyse the situation of textile manufacturers in Surat for appropriate revision of the existing duty drawback rates.
This decision was taken after the demonstration of Synthetic and Rayon Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) chairman Narain Agarwal.
At present, the garment and made-up sector are allowed to reduce state levies under the duty drawback scheme. After the representation, even yarns and fabrics have been included in the scheme. This will provide substantial relief to the man-made fibre.
Synthetic and Rayon Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) considered review of accumulation of input tax credit (ITC) at various stages of textiles, including weaving, processing, embroidery and other value-added segments for enabling full refund.
The refund of ITC will help make textile exports from the country more competitive.
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), has totally disallowed the export package extended by the previous government, the reason being that it would reverse 15 per cent growth in exports.
CEC has also criticised the reduction in rebate and exclusion of yarn and fabric from the list. The CEC also rejected the imposition of 11pc duty, on import of cotton from 15th of July. Also, CEC has detained that the imposition of import duty on cotton would erode the viability and competitiveness of industry and nullify the gains in exports during the last one year. APTMA had agreed with the last government that there would be no refund on yarn and grieg cloth provided that the payment of refund on made ups and printed and dyed fabric is subject to use of domestic yarn and Grieg cloth.
APTMA has strongly objected to the decrease in the rates of DLTL which, in the current scheme ending June 30th, is 7pc on made ups and 6 percent on other items, which has now been reduced to a maximum of 4 per cent.
Because of the reduction in DLTL rates and exclusion of yarn and grieg cloth which is $4 billion of total exports the reappearance of export will decrease substantially and the imposition of duty on cotton will hit the industry hard.
Exports of Tirupur in the last financial year have gone down by 5.6 per cent from the previous year.
Among the reasons are the changes in duty and tax structure such as GST. There is no customs duty levied in other countries, especially Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, on import of yarn to produce fabric and garments meant for exports, except in India.
Another serious concern is a backlog of Rs 500 crores (approx US$ 75 million) due under Rebate on State Levies from the Centre to the exporting units of Tirupur since April last year. The RoSL has been slashed from 3.5 per cent to 1.7 per cent while the excise portion of duty drawback of 5.7 per cent has also been withdrawn.
About six lakh employees work for 6,500 knitwear and apparel units in Tirupur, helping to earn Rs 50,000 crores (approx US$ 7.500 billion ) in exports a year.
The climate change too played havoc. Production of cotton remained minimal and could only meet five per cent of the requirements of Tamil Nadu spinning mills.
Increasing critical inputs cost have had a huge impact on prices of silk saris. The imports resulted in a steep rise in prices of handloom products. The price of cotton in early 2016 hovered around Rs 28,000(US $ 415 US) a candy but has now shot up to Rs 45,000 (US $ 666) .
Active wear brand The North Face has launched a pilot program that will promote a circular fashion system through the sale of recycled products.
The collection features apparel sold by the brand that was returned to the company after use. Comprising returned, defective and damaged pieces, this campaign brings greater awareness to different sustainable shopping and manufacturing options.
After customers provide the previously worn apparel to the company, the pieces are then processed for resale. Following a thorough inspection, products are cleaned and refurbished during a process that ensures the items are repaired according to The North Face’s standards.
The line is meant to generate attention toward manufacturing and distribution that will reduce threats to the environment by using different methods of recycling. Through repairing and reselling secondhand items, The North Face hopes to fortify its presence as a vehicle for change toward greener practices in the apparel manufacturing industry.
The North Face takes a holistic approach to sustainability. As the brand addresses the impacts of its products over their entire lifecycle, recommerce is an important next step in opening new markets and minimizing the impact on the planet. The brand is furthering its sustainability goals without sacrificing durability or technical standards. Ultimately, it will be proving a larger, circular model for the industry.
The main aim of EURATEX General Assembly 2018 was the revival of the textile and clothing industry and its visions for the future, among numerous participants in Brussels.
The event, held in Brussels on June 7, 2018, attracted more than 120 attendees. It offered an opportunity to gain interesting insights on the sector which is regaining a leading position in the EU industrial landscape.
The topic of this year’s event was investments in the textile and clothing factories of the future in Europe. The conference was moderated by John Scrimshaw, Head of Content, World Textile Information Network (WTiN), with Irmfried Schwimann, Deputy Director-General of DG Grow, being the keynote speaker.
The main discussion at the event was divided in two panels. It focused on investment trends in recent years and visions for the industry in the future, respectively.
Also, CEOs and representatives from seven European companies shared their first-hand experience in facing the challenges of the sector, from the need of skilled workforce, efforts in moving to sustainable processes and materials, and surpassing barrier regulations that can hinder exports.
Thai Acrylic Fiber has launched a new gel-dyed acrylic textile fiber which uses less energy and water than conventionally dyed acrylics.
Gel-dyeing of wet-spun fibers is not new. But this method is supposed to give an average of 20 per cent savings in water and energy compared to conventional techniques. In addition, because there’s no need to dye at the yarn or fabric stage, the method lightens the effluent pollution load of wet processing further downstream.
Although gel-dyeing has been used before to dye tow where soluble dyes are applied to wet-spun fibers such as acrylic, the new method is even more efficient – especially when it comes to water savings.
The new fiber is a ready-to-use gel dyed product which comes in a range of vibrant colors, which is said to shorten dyeing times considerably. It is said to have good color fastness, consistency and shade uniformity. It can be blended with other fibers such as polyester or can be spun as 100 per cent.
Thai Acrylic Fiber is owned by Aditya Birla. The company is now working with a Chinese supplier to spin its dyed fibers which are being used for a range of woven blankets, sweaters and other types of high-loft knitwear in a wide range of yarn counts and gauges.
Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA have announced the summer 2018 speaker listing and educational series topics.
This season, a multitude of relevant themes will be presented including discussions on preferred fibers, sourcing, the upcoming fall and winter trends outlook and a movie screening of Riverblue, the ground-breaking documentary about the destruction of rivers.
This July, the Texworld Showcase will highlight trends for the autumn/winter 2019-20 season.
Riverblue spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, this ground-breaking documentary examines the destruction of rivers, its effect on humanity, and solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.
A panel will examine the subject of microplastics, which has been linked to a number of plastic products. Recently, the subject of microfibers has come into the spotlight as research has shown discharge from washing synthetic fiber garments contributes to wastewater pollution.
Texworld USA is one of the largest sourcing events on the East Coast for apparel fabric buyers, research and product development specialists, designers, merchandisers and overseas sourcing professionals.
This international business platform offers a wide product range covering the entire fabric spectrum. From casual cotton to function fabrics and sophisticated knits to intricate laces, season-to-season attendees discover textiles of innovative structures, material mixes and surprising color palettes.
On May 31, Garmon Chemicals, CCI, Cottonsmith, a Cotton USA brand license, and the College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University, jointly held an event Cotton Creation Era - Denim Creative Design Award Ceremony in Shanghai.
Cotton USA promotes the traceability and sustainability of US cotton throughout the entire supply chain from cultivation, spinning, weaving, to ready-to-wear, bringing about the safest, most comfortable and healthy experience.
Garmon Chemicals is a leader in the R&D and marketing of total chemical solutions for the apparel industry. Cottonsmith gathers senior domestic first-rate textile designers and professional R&D teams dedicated to the R&D of fiber technology and textile technology research.
From cotton fields to clothing, from soil to ready-made garments, all parties work together to innovate cotton life and promote the traceability and sustainability of cotton raw materials and fabrics, design and production.
For this event, Cotton USA created opportunities for the integration of upstream and downstream supply chains, demonstrated design and fashion trends of cotton innovation and cotton apparel, creating high-quality cotton garments. It demonstrated the natural properties and practicality of cotton based on the concept of environmental protection and sustainability.
Contestants from Donghua University brought design works that are agile, pure, elegant, and dynamic, expressing the multi-dimensional interpretation of cotton and its unique style.
The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) and Perundurai SIPCOT Textile Processors Association recently arranged a meeting of industrialists of textile processing units.
SIPCO stand for State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited.
The meeting discussed about the various proactive measures that need to be undertaken to ensure compliance at Perudurai SIPCOT and protect the environment.
As per the resolutions passed at the meeting, each textile processing unit should comply with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board norms by adopting specified methods including zero liquid discharge technology apart from conserving water and recording the effluent treatment performance data with TNPCB Water Quality Watch Centre. It was also unanimously decided to enforce self-discipline and monitor the same by engaging a competent and credible external body.
Additionally, each textile processing unit has invested Rs.10 to Rs.30 crores for zero liquid discharge effluent treatment plant and is also spending huge recurring expenditure to comply with the environmental norms and protect the environment.
